Watford Cordery family

On researching my mother-in-law’s Cordery family, I have been able to trace them in Watford from the early 1800’s and prior to this in surrounding areas (Wendover). The Cordery’s were master shoemakers (mostly cordwainers), tailors, bakers, drapers and our specific line- plumbers & glaizers. They had several shops on the High Street ( including 215) and there are newspaper accounts of fires in surrounding buildings. I was intrigued when William Cordery refused to pay for the new water rates(1858) when the new water pump was put in, as his wife (Mary nee Bean) was a laundress and he would still need to make many trips to fetch water!; he was fined 15s. They lived in Wright’s Alley and later the Cordery family were at Grove Circus. The children were apprenticed under the terms of Lady Morrison’s charity for placing out the poor. Our Cordery line moved away from Watford in the late 19th century (as journeyman tradesmen), but my mother-in-law’s grandfather was returned to his place of birth and died in the workhouse, Watford Infirmary in 1902, of consumption. The accounts of the school records and newspaper articles bring the local history and our families characters to life. The only thing I feel missing, after 10 years of researching, is the lack of detailed historical photographs of Watford on line (as i am not local to the area) so I hope as your site develops this maybe an area that could be contributed to by others.

This page was added on 22/07/2017.

Comments about this page

  • In fact there is a charity in Watford which owns 18 Almshouses named the Bedford Morison and Cordery Almshouse Trust established in 1580 – in part set up by the will of Frederick Cordery in 1919 adding to eight much older buildings
    Frederick was a master tilor left what would now be £1.3M
    Happy to tell you more if you Email

    By Nigel Richard Ineson (19/10/2023)

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